The System 6/5/17

Another proposed unlawful tax bill. Another threat of war. Another minority shooting. Facebook users are outraged...

I don't even have to read the paper this morning or see my online feed to know that everything I just said happened today in America.

These are trying times in the country I love. I have never seen people so divided over...well, everything! I often become discouraged just thinking about it: Rich vs. Poor. Black vs Police. Christian vs. Muslim. Men vs. Women. Gay vs. Transgender. Millennials vs. Baby Boomers. Old Kanye vs. New Kanye...You get the point. It's disheartening. Good luck with any of these problems going anywhere, right?

Often times I hear politicians, pundits, and protesters alike remark that these problems continuously shine light upon how weak and unstable our current system of government actually is. That our nation doesn't properly allocate the resources at its disposal in an ethical or efficient manner regarding hot-button issues such as boosting the economy, feeding those in need, providing sufficient education, or racial/sexual/religious equality (In short: We're failing on finances, food, facts and freedom). To all those people, I ask you this...If a system is "weak", shouldn't it be easier to defeat?

Don't be so quick to call something weak if it's constantly able to beat you down. And YOU are not weak, so how does this keep happening? What's going on?! I say the system is strong. Too strong. And you just don't like it the way it is comprised because you are not the beneficiary, and that's the way you damn well should feel. Why would ANYONE respect a system in which they cannot succeed?! A fight is inevitable, but the results are unpredictable. For nothing is fair and nothing is promised when you fight against "The Way Things Are". The only thing guaranteed is that when you are ready to fight, a fight will be there waiting for you.

So to those who face doubt and uncertainty in their societal struggle, my advice is fairly simple: Don't let a snake beat you in a foot race. Stand in place and you'll get bit. Move too slow and it still may catch you. No matter the outcome, your only chance to win is to keep moving forward to the best of your ability. Take advantage of your gifts and push through the pain you feel. And also remember, this is a relay race. You are not alone. Someone pushed hard in front of you to get you to this point. So push even harder for those people, as well as the ones to whom you will later pass the baton. Both sides are depending on you to be the difference.

Do not be fearful of, or oblivious to how powerful you are in this present moment, even with the way the system is currently structured. You can navigate this course just as well, if not better than those who came before you. Because they were just like you. Ordinary people, capable of doing extraordinary things within a world that makes progress often feel impossible. But belief is where it always begins.